2016 CE24- would switching to Holcomb pickups be a good idea?

[Rcj520]

I'm picking up my 2016 CE24 tomorrow, and I'm extremely excited! Originally I was going to buy a Holcomb SE, but I fell in love with the CE. I already bought it because I knew it was the guitar for me, and I haven't even plugged it in to play it lol. With the right guitar, especially a PRS, you can feel when it's the one, as lame as that sounds. Just wondering though, since the pickup were the favorite part of the Holcombe, if anyone has compared those pickups to the 85/15.

I have a 100w 5150iii and play mostly hard rock and metal, but I care about the pickups from a versatility stand point as well. And the 85/15 would go into my Zach Myers if I switched, and if they would be a good match in a semi hollow

 

[dogrocketp]

Play it for a few weeks before you modify. You may be surprised. Remember, PRS pickups respond incredibly well to subtle adjustments.

 

[alantig]

I'm with dogrocketp. I don't have a CE24, but I played one in the store and saw Brian Ewald demo it. The 85/15s definitely are voiced more towards the classic 70s/early 80s sound. To my ears, they handled the higher gain that Brian played, although he didn't go into more modern metal territory (he was demoing the Sonzera).

The Alpha/Omega set has a slightly more aggressive voicing, but they do have a good amount of versatility. I liked them in the Holcomb SE enough that I bought a 7-string set for my SE-7.

But like dogrocketp said, play the 85/15's for a couple weeks. They may suit you just fine.

 

[Ovibos]

Just buy a Holcomb SE and have best of both worlds!

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Do it! Changing pickups is one of the easiest mods to do. But don't move on mentally without giving the existing pickups a chance. A lot of people have already swapped pickups in their head before they even play the guitar.

Also, be able to swap them back. There's a commitment to swapping pickups that seems to imply that it's automatically an improvement. It's not always. Judge with an open mind.

 

[JSanta585]

I'll add another wrinkle into this. I just bought a 2007 HBII with the older Archtop pickups, and much to my surprise, their incredible clarity has actually given me a few very convincing metal tones a la John Petrucci. I suggest living with those pickups for a bit and seeing how you feel before switching them out.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Give the stock pickups some time before spending a lot of $$$ on new pickups. From what I understand the 85/15's are actually pretty tight and articulate in their own right.